The present invention generally relates to the production of nano-metal and metal oxide powders. More specifically, the present invention relates to production of nano-metal and metal oxide powders by use of improved disproportionation technology.
The current disproportionation process was adapted for the purification of aluminum, U.S. Pat. No. 2,184,705. In this process, the disproportionation is carried out at a temperature above the melting point of the process metal in order to achieve the resulting purified metal product. In the use of the process for the production of nano-metal and metal oxide powders, the disproportionation process is carried out at a temperature that is below the melting point of the process metal in order to produce the nano-metal powders.
Magnetic nano iron and magnetic nano iron oxide powders are currently produced through the use of vapor condensation, plasma technology, laser ablation, gel processing, chemical precipitation, mechanical milling, or thermal spray technology. As shown in FIG. 1, the low evaporation rate of iron illustrates the low rates that are achieved even at high process temperatures. These technologies provide a mechanism by which small quantities of the nano powders can be produced for medical applications, research and development, and other special applications. The cost of nano-metal powders produced through these technologies is excessively high due to the cost of process materials, labor, power requirements and capital equipment. A more efficient process is needed to produce nano-metal powder from aluminum, nickel, iron, titanium, chromium, and other similar metals in large quantities and at reduced costs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a process to produce nano-metal powder from aluminum, nickel, iron, titanium, chromium, and other similar metals in large quantities and at reduced costs.